TMHS Music Department On Friday May 20, 2016, the Tourtellotte Memorial High School Concert Band and Concert Choir attended the Great East Music Festival Competition at Manchester High School in Manchester, Connecticut. Under the direction of Mrs. Kate Anderson, the Choir achieved the top rating of platinum for a second consecutive year! The Band was able to capture high gold and was a mere three points away from achieving the top honor of platinum. The judges for the event consisted of current music educators, who have adjudicated this music festival for the past 15 years. The concert choir performed three pieces in their repertoire. After their performance, the judges who adjudicated them verbalized that they were very impressed with our tone quality and mature choir sound. While the judges worked with the choir, the students were treated to new musical insight and higher level vocal techniques provided by the adjudicator. After the concert band performed their two musical selections, the judges noted that for a small ensemble, they had an excellent ensemble sound. They were especially impressed with the many students who have just taken up new instruments this year, and their ability to play the highly technical music performed. All of the TMHS Music students worked extremely hard to prepare for our competition. Their hard work and dedication to our music department was illustrated through our highest achievement two years in a row under Mrs. Anderson’s direction. Our first trip to the Great East Festival was four years ago at Manchester High School. Our growth in four years impressed the judges and illustrated our amazing talent here...

Zeynep Acun is Thompson’s winner in Senator Mae Flexer’s 2016 Essay Contest THOMPSON – Sixth Grader Zeynep Acun is this year’s school-wide winner of State Senator Mae Flexer’s 2016 Essay Contest. Zeynep, a student in Mrs. Groh’s English Language Arts class at Thompson Middle School, took part in an essay contest titled, “What I Love About My Community.” One winning student from each school in Senator Flexer’s district will be honored at a small ceremony in June at the state capitol in Hartford. Zeynep’s essay talked about how culturally accepting the people in Thompson are. She wrote about how she feels safe in her neighborhood and she also wrote about how nice the teachers, staff and other students at Thompson Middle School have always been. Zeynep’s mother, who is from Turkey, was an exchange student at TMHS for one year from 1990-1991. but then decided to return to Thompson, CT to raise Zeynep. “It is exciting to see Zeynep have the same love for Thompson as her mother,” said Mrs. Groh. “For Zeynep to win this essay contest is very exciting for all of us. Congratulations to all the students that took part in the contest!” Here is her essay: What I love About my Community By Zeynep Acun There are many things I love about my community like how culturally accepting the people are, how safe our neighborhoods are, and how many great people there are to be friends with. There are many things I love about Thompson, Connecticut. I came to the United States January of 2008. I was just about four years old. Soon...

On Friday, April 29th fourth graders Tyana Gelineau, Tara Heffernan, Mason Hill, and Isabelle Nieves along with fifth grade students Nicole Creighton, Hailey Johnson, Benjamin McGarry, and Angela Newell performed at the CT Convention Center as part of the Elementary Honors Choir. This is the seventh annual EHC concert, which features close to three hundred fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from across the state. This year’s featured conductor was Cristi Cary Miller, who is highly regarded across the United States as a master teacher, conductor and composer. The concert is in conjunction with the Connecticut Music Educators Association conference. The students were selected in February and have been rehearsing their music since then in preparation for the concert. Mrs. Rossetti accompanied the students on the bus as they traveled to Hartford at 6:15 a.m. The students were wide awake and soon began to sing their songs on the bus! Once they arrived, the students had a brief rehearsal in the morning before they performed The Star Spangled Banner at the opening session of the conference. After several more hours of rehearsing the students were ready to perform their concert for a packed audience of family and friends. Mrs. Miller’s program included Gloria Deo, I See the Moon, the American folk song Shady Grove, Clever Chameleon, I Ask for One Day (based on a poem written by a seventh grader), and the traditional spiritual All Night, All Day, which was a student favorite. The students performed flawlessly and at a level beyond what their age would suggest. The students were selected based on their exemplary vocal skills as well as their character. The students enjoyed a fun filled day of laughter, singing and memorable experiences. They made their families, and music teachers Mrs. Rossetti and...

Mrs.Moylan’s 5th Grade Class Donated “Furry Friends” to DKH Mrs. Moylan’s 5th grade class has been saving water bottles all year long so that they could turn them in and donate the money to charity. They decided that they would use the money to purchase “Furry Friends” leftover from Easter from Walmart, Rite Aid, and the Dollar Store and donate them to the Day Kimball Hospital Emergency Room for kids who come in either sick or injured. Each student chose a “Furry Friend”, tagged it, and put a personal message on the back of the tag. Mrs. Moylan delivered the “Furry Friends” to Day Kimball Hospital on Saturday, April 16th. The staff greatly appreciated the gift and encouraged us to keep the program...